SPOKANE, Wash. — MultiCare Health System announced today the introduction of four Moxi, robot assistants that will begin supporting the MultiCare team, on January 26, 2023 at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital.

Moxi, created by Diligent Robotics, will serve as an aid to nurses and will not have patient interaction or go into patient rooms. Some of its duties include delivering lab samples and running patient medications, supplies and other items for patient care.

Health care systems across the country are facing significant staffing challenges, and MultiCare is not immune. To address these challenges, MultiCare is exploring innovative ways to utilize resources most effectively and ensure that nurses and other clinical staff are doing the highest value work they were hired to do, caring for patients.

“We are excited to be the first hospital in the state to have Moxi on our MultiCare team,” said Jennifer Graham, Deaconess Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer. “Moxi has not taken the place of our care givers but will serve as an aid for our team. Nurses and other clinicians spend significant time during their shifts gathering and delivering supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE), patient medications, lab specimens and other items. With Moxi in place, it will ease that burden, allowing our team to do what they do best — take care of our community.”

Moxi was designed and created by Diligent Robotics, a robotics company from Austin that develops artificial intelligence to enable robots to collaborate with and adapt to humans. Moxi is equipped with an arm, gripper hand, and mobility that enable it to transport lightweight medical resources, navigate hospital hallways and drop them off for nurses and other staff.